This patent relates to methods of folding informational items which have printed information, such as instructions and/or warnings, relating to pharmaceutical products.
Informational items, such as outserts, are used to convey information to purchasers and users of pharmaceutical products. The information printed on an outsert typically includes instructions for use of a pharmaceutical product and medical warnings relating to the product. The outsert typically accompanies the product, such as by being affixed directly to the container in which the pharmaceutical product is provided or by being enclosed within a cardboard carton in which the pharmaceutical container is packaged.
A method of forming outserts is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,195 to Michael Vijuk. In that patent, outserts are manufactured by folding a relatively long sheet a number of times in a direction perpendicular to the length of the sheet and then cutting the folded sheet a number of times in a direction perpendicular to the folding direction to make a number of individual outserts. The result of the folding and cutting steps is a xe2x80x9cribbonxe2x80x9d style outsert like the one shown in FIG. 1B.
FIG. 1A illustrates an example of an outsert 10 constructed in accordance with the prior art which has open edges 12 about its periphery. FIG. 1B illustrates a conventional ribbon style outsert 14 constructed in accordance with the prior art. The outsert 14 has a tail portion 16 which, prior to opening of the outsert by the purchaser of the associated pharmaceutical product, is glued to an interior portion of the outsert. The tail portion 16 consists of a single sheet having an unfolded, exterior sheet edge which lies in a direction parallel to the folding direction.
In one aspect, the invention is directed to a method of folding a sheet having printed information thereon to form an outsert for providing information to the user of a product. The method comprises (a) folding the sheet by making a first fold in the sheet, the first fold being parallel to a first direction; (b) folding the sheet by making a second fold in the sheet, the second fold being parallel to the first direction; (c) folding the sheet by making at least one additional fold in the sheet, the additional fold being parallel to the first direction and being made to form a first folded article having a first end and a second end, each of the first and second ends of the first folded article having unfolded exterior sheet edges which lie in a direction perpendicular to the first direction; (d) after completion of (a) through (c), folding the first folded article by making a first fold in the first folded article in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to form a second folded article, the second folded article having a first end and a second end, the first end of the second folded article having no unfolded exterior sheet edges; (e) making at least one additional fold in a direction parallel to the second direction to form a third folded article, the third folded article having a sheet portion; (f) depositing an adhesive on the sheet portion of the third folded article; and (g) folding the third folded article by making a final fold in a direction parallel to the second direction to form the outsert, the final fold being made so that the second end of the second folded article is covered by one of the sheet portions of the outsert and so that there are no unfolded exterior sheet edges which lie in a direction parallel to the second direction, the thickness of the sheet being such that when the folds in the first and second directions are made, the folds will cause the outsert to have a thickness of 0.25 inches or greater.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a method of producing a folded item having printed information thereon to provide information to the user of a product. The method comprises (a) forming a first article having a first end, a second end, a length along a first direction, and a width along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the first article having a plurality of first elongate sheet portions and a plurality of second elongate sheet portions, each of the first elongate sheet portions having a first end and a second end, and each of the second elongate sheet portions having a first end and a second end, each of the first ends of the first elongate sheet portions being joined to a respective one of the first ends of the second elongate sheet portions at a respective fold coinciding with the first end of the first article so that the first end of the first article has no exterior unfolded sheet edges, each of the respective folds being parallel to the second direction; (b) folding the first article by making a first transverse fold in the first article to form a second article, the first transverse fold being parallel to the second direction and being made so that the second end of the first article is disposed between the first end of the first article and the first transverse fold; (c) depositing an adhesive on a portion of the second article; and (d) folding the second article by making a second transverse fold in the second article to form the folded item, the second transverse fold being parallel to the second direction so that the folded item has no exterior unfolded sheet edges which lie in a direction parallel to the second direction, the thickness of the sheet being such that when the folds in the first and second directions are made, the folds will cause the folded item to have a thickness of 0.25 inches or greater.